Who is Trump associate Laura Loomer?

Why Republicans are nervous that their nominee is taking advice from a conspiracy theorist

Laura Loomer arrives at Philadelphia International Airport on the Trump Organization's Boeing 757 ahead of the ABC News presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024
Laura Loomer arrives at Philadelphia International Airport on the Trump Organization's Boeing 757 ahead of the ABC News presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024
(Image credit: Julia Beverly / Getty Images)

On the day of the Sept. 10 presidential debate, a conservative activist and journalist named Laura Loomer was photographed disembarking from former President Donald Trump's airplane in Philadelphia. Her presence in Trump's entourage sparked controversy, because Loomer is a combative media personality whose statements and actions have drawn widespread condemnation.

While both Trump and Loomer put out statements that she has no official role in the campaign, other Republicans have leaned on Trump to distance himself from her. Who is Laura Loomer and how did she come to play a role in Trump's campaign?

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.